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A new bike

My old bike got stolen a few weeks ago (even though it had the baby seat on it, harrumph!). It was a rusty Schwinn that I'd had for five years, and I figured it was now finally time to get a grown-up bike.

After researching online, I decided to get one of the PUBLIC bikes, which are incredible Dutch-inspired city bikes made in San Francisco. The best part is, they mail the bike right to your door, and you just have to put the final pieces together (they send you tools and easy instructions). I'm thrilled with the bike, which is cute, comfy and smooth to ride.

The models, above, look gorgeous, and here's me, below, during a recent date night with Alex. (We rode to Brooklyn for dinner.)Riding in Manhattan...Over the Brooklyn Bridge...Fast...But not as fast as Alex.

Do you have a bike? Which kind? I'd recommend a PUBLIC bike if you are in the market!

When I was a city-slicker, I rode bikes everywhere and started collecting them, so I have a pre-war men's black Schwinn (a kid I went to grad school with it would always sing the Wicked Witch of the West theme when he saw me on it!), a girl's metallic teal 1950s Schwinn (has originaly light, asket, fenders, rack and all), and a royal blue Ross bike from the 70s I restored (a rare bike. Ross was a motorcycle part manufacturer that dabbled in bikes for a handful of years in the 70s). Now I live in the country and don't ride as much, though I should get back into it, especially since my 2yo daughter loves to ride her Radio Flyer trike everywhere!

Wow I love it! I have an ancient old rickety one that looks a lot like yours but probably doesn't run as smooth! I've been lusting over public bikes for months but I can't bear to part with my old love :)

I have a Schwinn High Sierra from the mid-80s - Picked it up at a garage sale for $10 in mint condition!! I've upgraded the tires since the original white-walls gave out, but I love it all the same :) It's a great cruiser - Love your new wheels, thanks for sharing!!

My husband and I just moved to Amsterdam and we are SUPER excited to get bikes and immerse ourselves in the awesome bike culture here! Although, everyone recommends you don't spend more than 50 euros on a bike (and then spend 100 euros on the lock!!!) :)

I have a neon green, vintage ladies racing Schwinn from 1977! I also LOVE biking in NYC, Tribeca/Greenwich Village is still my favorite place to bike, regardless of the cobblestones. The side streets make me feel like I am in old-timely, turn of the century London!

Gorgeous bicycle!!! I've been on the fence about purchasing a Linus Dutchi 3, but will now be forced to consider the beautiful Public line that you've just introduced me to! Either brand, I LOVE the cream color.

Oh, I just bought a public too and I LOVE it!! It's such a nice ride, and perfect for my commute to work in Minneapolis. It doesn't hurt that I get compliments on the style (esp. the stripes) every time I'm out and about on it :) Here's mine (the white one): http://publicbikes.com/p/PUBLIC-V7

I started biking to work a few months ago: http://thepocketchronicles.blogspot.com/2011/05/so-long-rat-race.html It adds an extra hour to my morning (including time to freshen up once I arrive) but it's totally worth it. I like how biking gets my day off to a slow, thoughtful start.

I still use the Trek hybrid I bought when I was 13. I mowed lawn all summer to earn it! It still works like a charm. I learned to ride on a giant pink banana seat bike...wish I still had it!

Love it! Are you going to get a baby seat for this one? Which kind did you have before? We have a BoBike for our 1 year old, but it doesn't fit my bike (so sad). I am looking for a new bike that can handle Seattle's crazy hills!

jill, yes! we already have a baby seat--will post about it soon! and haha, nicole, my bike doesn't have a name, but i love the name kermie!!! this would be a great way to use all the other baby names we liked (milo, jude, etc., ha!)

nice bike, i like it in white! they're surprisingly affordable, too, considering the market. i'm so frightened of someone stealing my A.N.T. bike, but i would probably consider a Public if that ever happened.

You are very fortunate to have $1,000 to spend on a bike. Sorry your previous bike got stolen, though - that sucks.

To the non-rich NY bikers out there, I recommend Times Up and Recycle a Bike if you're looking for one. Not only are those places priced for everyday people, but they are also environmentally sound, ie. always recycled and retuned, rather than new.

Just bought a beautiful light blue comfort bike. Got a huge country-style basket for the front. It had awesome whitewall tires, but the day I brought it home and rode it, a sharp piece of metal sliced open the tire:( I had to wait 2 weeks for a Dutch company to approve an order for replacement tires. They finally came, but they are greywall and don't have quite the classic look. I love your bike!!

Omg! I just wished and pinned this bike yesterday! Are you able to get a lot of speed on it? I have kind of a 3 speed beach cruiser (actually, this: http://www.manhattancruisers.com/10_green_l.htm)and I love it, but i'd really like more speed for getting around the city.

My oh my! The models do look gorgeous but so do you!!! I love your new bike. Being that I live in Southern California and really only ride my bike for relaxing jaunts around town or by the beach, I have a yellow strand cruiser. It's perfect for what I need but I've been thinking about having it repainted. Enjoy your new ride!

I have a Taarnby bike, which I bought when I started university 4 years ago. I really love it and depend on it completely for all transportation, but it makes me feel independent because I don't need to check the busses' timetables or where they stop - my bike will get me anywhere at any time :)

I have a Schwinn Legacy Red/white :) I got it last summer. I rode bike during my second pregnancy up until the day before I gave birth and rode with my oldest in his baby seat (for fun) not as my means of transportation.

Joanna, You should make sure your bike is covered under your renters insurance policy or even consider a personal articles policy to protect you from having to buy a new one if [god forbid] this one gets stolen too. It takes 5 minutes and could be a lifesaver. I have a lot of camera gear, etc and I feel so much better toting my stuff around the city knowing it's not the end of the world should someone decide to ruin my day.

I feel off a bike 2 years ago. 20 stitches later I still have not gotten on one since. I have been toying with the idea of buying one, but I would want one exactly like this...basket and all. Even though I do not live in a very cyclist friendly city, not am I very good at it I think it would be a great alternative to driving for short trips.

Hello! I really love the look of your bike but think it is incredible that you bought a bike without trying to ride it first!! In Germany that is the most important thing! How it feels to ride it in comparison to others.Did you never get to try? Just curious! Katharina

beautiful bike! mine's a 1962 schwinn debutante... it's super super heavy and clumsy to ride, but i love the old girl ;). found her on the side of the road in northern arizona while on an adventure with my grandpa, and that also turned out to be the day i met my now-boyfriend! lots of good memories attached to that rusty old pink bike <3 it even has an old liscence plate on it from when you had to liscence your bike -- like a car! and a shoelace tied around the handlebars.. i wonder whose it was?

yes, Katharina, i was wondering if i should ride it before getting it -- but in the end, i had read so many great things about PUBLIC bikes that i figured i'd go ahead and go for it. and they do ride so well and smoothly, thankfully! xo

Oh sooo jealous. I would love what I refer to as a 'bike with a basket'. I even wrote a post on it a few months ago - my boyfriend is ridiculously into mountain biking {and wants me to go too!} whereas I just want to pootle about through town looking chic {reality check needed perhaps}

I love! And that shot between your legs looks super dangerous, really! I guess I'm kind of outing myself when I tell you now that I could never ever do this because I have the most magnificent imagination with all kinds of horrible accidents concerning my bike and me. Ugh! ;P

Oooo, i likes. I ride a rusty ol' bike from the 70's myself. What kind of lock did you have on the one that was stolen? I ask because I have a U-Lock which I would like to believe is theft proof and since I ride my bike just about everywhere I hope I'm not proven wrong.

I have a 2009 Trek Women's 1.1 and I absolutely love it! It weighs about 7 lbs. and is great for city commutes. I also have two Wald folding rear baskets for picking up our CSA veggies and doing errands.

My helmet is a Bell made especially for women and it has a hole for a ponytail!

I was looking at these when trying to find a new bike, but didn't end up getting it because it was a bit more expensive. I keep looking at the site now wishing I had gotten one! My bike is so big and clunky.

hi there-- lovely new bike! i'm american but live in leiden (the netherlands) with my 8 month old. we have a baby bike seat we love-- it's the GMG Yepp Mini. it's very sturdy and easy to use-- and looks trendy as well. this new GMG style was released last year--- don't know if they are in the States yet, but if so, would highly recommend.

oh how i wish i were tall enough for a regular women's size bike. i recently got a new bike after not having one since i was 10! it's the huffy cranbrook junior size in burgundy: http://www.walmart.com/ip/24-G-Cranbrook-cruiser-comfort-bike-model-54430-burgundy/12509648

The bike looks lovely! I'm no expert, but I would say be careful with those matte bike helmets. A (ballet dancer) friend of mine had a crash in Toronto, and apparently the matte helmet is what made the (career ending) neck injury worse that it should have been. I guess most traditional bike helmets have that glossy sheen so that if your head hits the ground, it will slide and minimize the amount of trauma to your neck. The matte helmets were introduced for aesthetics (and I myself use a skateboard helmet for vanity reasons!), but they're a bit less practical. Anyway, happy riding!

Oh! Love it! Very sorry to hear that your other bicycle got swiped (grrrr...), though it looks like you got the sweet end of the deal with this new one. It's a beauty.I have a plum and cream electra cruiser and now mostly ride my 1980 deep wine and black huffy (huffy!!). She's my buddy, that bicycle.

Out of curiosity - what kind of baby seat did you have (before it got stolen). I have a 10month old boy who hates strollers but loves his little Alex Bicycle. I think he'd love to have his own little bike seat on my bike or my husbands bike. Did you consider a bike trailer too?

That is a gorgeous bike! Just want to set the record straight, though... while Public is awesome and checks out their manufacturers regularly, per their FAQ section, they are NOT made in San Francisco, but Taiwan.

Looks like an awesome date with the hubby. Great bike! Which model is that? Funny bikes seem to be the topic of my day, I was telling a coworker how my teenage Raleigh Racing bike is completely impractical to ride and showing them a bike I liked today from Adeline Adeline that was way over my current budget. Maybe this is an option.

Oooh I love Public Bikes! It's really the only website I look at just to look... and salivate. I bought amazing yellow biking heels last summer and get nonstop compliments on them. Also Public has the best customer service - when a heel broke on my shoe they were unbelievably helpful and nice. Now when I see their bikes parked around NY I'm so happy they are getting business (but have major bike envy!). Enjoy your bike and ride safely!

I had a horrific biking accident two years ago on my boyfriends bike. The bike was then stolen two days after my accident, so I am quite wary of them. Needless to say you look great Joanna.

Also, I don't think that these posts are advertisements, even if they are I wouldn't mind because so much thought obviously goes into each post that when I shop, I know I am getting a quality product if I saw it on cup of jo. Thank you Joanna for such an amazing blog.

I have a Surly 'Long Haul Trucker' It's a touring bike that's nice and sturdy and I've classed it up a bit with Brooks leather saddle and other accessories. The bike is a real go getter, I own 2 other bikes (a cute orange 70's number and a single speed for racing). I already feel gluttonous for owning as many as I do but I yearn for a girly 'date bike'.

The perfect girly bike for me would be a mixte style frame in gold. Probobally something I restore myself but if money was no issue I would get a custom built bike. Either a Sweetpea (sweetpeabicycles.com) or a Vanilla (vanillabicycles.com) So so pretty!

My fiance usually bikes to/from work and has encouraged me in the direction of biking. (The danger of being a bicyclist in a car-heavy city worries me. Amsterdam, please?) But these look lovely and seem to work well as city biked. Will definitely keep in mind if I end up investing.

What a beautiful vintage-y looking bike! And gorgeous photos as well! I know this is unrelated, but I can't help but asking: where are your shoes & shorts from? I've been looking for something very similar to both for ages now!

Public bikes are very nice. Being cyclist myself and soon to be mom i have a few questions and concerns for you.We have been looking into getting a baby seat for our bikes, how old was Toby before you started riding your bicycle with him?My other concern is that you don't show yourself wearing a helmet. Being an ambassador on your blog for biking don't you agree that wearing a helmetshould be the first thing that you let your readers know about. Living in new york city i think its extra important to inform your readers.

HELMET!!! There is nothing fashionable about being in a coma after bashing your head on the sidewalk. Even a small fall can change a life forever. Be an example for Toby and ALWAYS wear your helmet! I was sad to see you without one ... :-(

sweet looking bike joanna! looks like a ton of fun to have all sorts of adventures in the city.

i have a mountain bike for trail rides + an old 40's airflyte that i ride around in the country. the new missoni bike soon to be available @ target is pretty {i'm kind of eyeballing it} but i'm wondering about the quality.

Love your new bike! I just saw a great video on how to lock a bike properly. Really good tips for anti-theft mods. Love this guy, he's a New Yorker. He goes around & "grades" peoples bike locking technique around the city. Too funny. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ryY-qMFLcfo

Hi Jo, Lovely bike! You've inspired me to start biking, but I'm terrified of biking with our little girl who just turned 1 after reading all the advice against putting a baby on a bike while searching for an infant helmet. Sigh. Is there an infant helmet and seat you'd recommend? I only found the cheapie ones from walmart/amazon but we are thinking of getting the wee ride.

I just bought a brand new bike! I'm very excited about it! As a university student, it was quite an extravagent purchase, but I'm so excited to get riding! Mine was a Merida juliet 77, and it's a proper road bike, so it's time for me to get really fit! Bikes are great!x

Hello, my name is Eleanore. I have a few Vintage Style bicycles at home, which I absolutely adore. I am currently in the process of restoring them (eg. Powder Coating the bikes, painting) and getting all the rust off through a method called sandblasting.